


I know I'm a heartbreaker but could I use your ice maker?

by spandeedie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, fluff to take your mind off babygate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 23:09:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5803960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spandeedie/pseuds/spandeedie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drabble for <a href="http://lululawrence.tumblr.com">Sus</a> to distract the fandom from this baby BS. Because she asked so nicely. </p><p>The prompt was basically 'Australian Direction'. It's basically just a meet cute that was written in a total of two hours so please have fun with it!</p><p><a href="http://spandeedie.tumblr.com">Span</a> xx</p>
            </blockquote>





	I know I'm a heartbreaker but could I use your ice maker?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lululawrence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/gifts).



As he strolls through the busy shopping centre, Louis sees the big green, red and orange sign beaming up ahead and immediately feels panic rise in his chest. He wants a juice, he knows that much, but what to have in it? 

            As he approaches the counter, a curly-haired boy with huge dimples grins at him. “Welcome to Boost Juice, what can I get you today?” 

            Louis’ mind goes blank, though he’s not sure if it’s caused by indecisiveness or the tall, green-eyed Adonis in front of him. “Uh… Shit… Um… Sorry, just give me a moment?” he squeaks, wishing he could melt into the ground. He scans the backlit menu board frantically. “I’ll have an All Berry Bang” he finally spits out, cringing at the innuendo. It was accidental, he swears. 

            The boy behind the counter—Harry, his badge reads—nods encouragingly. “Original, medium or…” Harry hesitates, “…kiddie?” He runs his green eyes suggestively down Louis’ body. 

            _Wait a second, did he just—“_ Hey! are you implying I’m a child, mate?” 

            Harry smirks, folding his arms across his chest. “Not a child, just, you know, small.” 

            Louis’ jaw drops open, his eyes narrowing. “In that case, I’ll have original.” He raises an eyebrow, puffing up his chest. He extracts his wallet from the back pocket of his work pants, flipping it open to inspect his cash situation. Pulling out a $20 note, he glances back up at the register. Harry is watching him intently, biting his lower lip in a manner that is seductive and highly unprofessional. Louis’ breath stutters a little as he hands the money to Harry. 

            “$6.20. Thanks,” Harry says, accepting the note and resuming his initial professionalism. “Can I get a name?” He must register the shock on Louis’ face, quickly adding, “…for the order?”

 _Get a grip, Tomlinson._ “Uh… Louis,” he stammers. “L-O-U-I-S.” He’s grown used to spelling his name for people, knowing they’ll assume his name is ‘Louie’. The burden of having a French name in Australian society.

            “Would you prefer I called you Dave or Nick or Michael like every other kid in your class?” his mum would huff whenever Louis complained about having a unique name. “Or how about Bazza? Or Dazza? Or Gary?” Inevitably, Louis would end up relenting. He likes standing out, the very reason he’s at the VCA studying Music Theatre.

            “That’ll be ready in a minute,” Harry’s voice cuts through Louis’ thoughts, “just wait over there.” Harry gestures to the end of the counter, smiling politely.

            Louis moves quickly to join the other customers waiting for their juice. He checks his watch, relieved to see he still has 20 minutes left of his break. He and Liam are the only two rostered on today, it being a Tuesday and their least busy day of the week, so he needs to be punctual. 

            Louis watches as Harry murmurs something in the ear of one of his colleagues, who casts a quick look in Louis’ direction and grins before taking Harry’s place at the register. Harry picks up a large jug and starts scooping fruit into it. His shoulder muscles ripple through his black t-shirt which is much tighter than the shirts every other Boost employee is wearing. Louis hadn’t noticed Harry’s tattoos before, another uncommon trait for someone who works at Boost. The juice chain is renowned for hiring pretty girls, the kind with a perpetual tan, sweeping eyelashes and long, shiny hair. Louis doesn’t usually have to worry about coming across as smooth when he orders his juice. 

            Now, he feels light-headed as he studies the ink on Harry’s arm in wonder. He has nautical tattoos, like Louis—a rose in the same place as Louis has a dagger. _That’s a bizarre coincidence_. Harry turns to Louis, and meets his eyes as he puts the jug in the blender and shuts the case over it. Louis feels himself blush, his cheeks heating up as the emerald eyes stay trained on him. Seconds later, Harry breaks the tension with another megawatt smile, and Louis is sure he’s going to faint on the spot. 

            The blender finishes, and Harry deftly reaches behind him, grabbing a green cup in his hand and twirling it like a bartender, before skilfully pouring the red concoction into it. He’s made exactly enough for the cup to fill to the brim. Louis is a little impressed. Harry slaps a plastic lid on top, sliding the cup towards Louis. 

            “Louie-with-an-S,” he calls, a mischievous look forming on his handsome features. He winks at Louis, before turning on the spot and marching back to the register. 

            Picking up the cup, Louis sees his name scrawled in Sharpie on the side. Next to it is a heart, followed by “-H .xx”. He rolls his eyes and takes a sip, praising himself for making a good call under pressure. The drink is delicious. 

 

Five minutes later, he’s back in The Shaver Shop watching Liam sell an overpriced beard trimmer to a guy who looks like he couldn’t grow a beard to save his life. Their boss will be pleased. 

             Once the sale is put through and the shop is empty once more, Louis turns to Liam, grabbing his friend’s shoulders. “You’ll never guess what just happened on my break!”

            Louis tells the story from start to finish, adding a little hyperbole here and there to make the story that little bit more dramatic. Harry’s curls become "flowing locks", his height grows by at least 4 inches and his voice "qualifies him to replace Richard Mercer on _Love Song Dedications_ ”. 

             Liam raises his eyebrows, impressed. “Lou, stop, I’m as straight as an arrow and I’m developing a crush on this guy!” 

            “I KNOW, RIGHT?!” Louis cries. “I saw him in the flesh! How do you think I feel right now!” 

             Liam studies Louis’ face for a moment. “So what are you going to do about it then? Head back down to Boost every time you have a break? Convince Centre Management to let you get on the PA and make a declaration of love?” He pauses. “Actually, that’s not such a bad idea!”

            Louis rolls his eyes, punching Liam playfully in the arm. “No, I’m going to do what I always do,” he pauses for effect. “Stick him in my wank bank and cry under my doona every night thinking about what could have been.”

            Liam wrinkles his nose in disgust. “Ew! Too much information. Way too much information.” He sticks his fingers in his ears and starts humming obnoxiously. 

            They’re rushing around, getting ready to close for the day, an annoyingly fussy customer having kept them both busy right up until 5:30, when they normally would be pulling down the roller door and walking out. Louis is replacing stock and Liam is shutting down the computer when someone enters the shop. 

            “Sorry mate, we’re closing!” Liam calls, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. “Open tomorrow at 9 with the rest of the centre.”

            “Oh, uh, it’s okay. I didn’t come for a shaver, actually,” a deep, slow voice comes from the shop’s entrance, releasing hundreds or butterflies—or were they moths?—into Louis’ stomach. 

            Louis’ head snaps up, eyes wide as he takes in the sight of Harry’s slender figure. “Harry? How did you…” he’s about to finish the sentence when realisation dawns on him. His chin tucks into his chest as he glances down at his navy shirt. He’d forgotten that the words ‘The Shaver Shop’ were emblazoned on the left-hand-side. “Ohhhh!”

            Harry chuckles, raking a hand through his long curls so they’re pulled away from his forehead. “Hi.” His voice is barely louder than a whisper, and has a hoarse quality to it, as if Louis has taken his breath away _. Did you just take his breath away? Shit. I think you just took his breath away. You take his breath away. Huh._ Louis snaps out of it to find Harry and Liam watching him with matching puzzled expressions, and he realises he’d been actively shaking his head in disbelief. _Oops._

            Harry clears his throat. “I, uh. I was wondering if maybe you were free after work—now, I mean—to get a drink or something?” He’s shuffling from foot to foot, wringing his hands together in front of him. It’s endearing, and Louis couldn’t say no if he wanted to. Except…

            “I’ve actually got plans,” Louis begins. Before he can finish his sentence Harry is nodding and moving towards the door. “Harry, wait.” Harry pulls to a halt as quickly as he’d begun moving. He looks back at Louis, eyes wide with hope. Louis wants to run into his long arms and kiss him right there. "I’ve got plans, but it’s just me and Liam here going to the pub for drinks with our mate Niall. You’d be welcome to come?”

            A smile slowly spreads across Harry’s face, and he nods again, just once. “Yeah, I’d love that. Thanks."

 

The brewery is surprisingly busy when Louis arrives with Liam and Niall. They manage to nab the last free table, and Louis offers to get the first round. He’s heard good things about this place—the newest craft brewery in Brunswick. They’ve got a pale ale that’s reputed to be the best new beer on the market, and Louis cannot wait to get stuck into one. He’s waiting to secure the attention of the the bartender when he feels a light tap on his shoulder. Louis spins around just as Harry takes a step in closer, his boot landing on top of Louis’ sneakered toes. 

            Harry darts back. “Sorry! Shit! Are you okay?” Harry’s brows knit together in concern and he quickly raises a hand to place it on Louis’ shoulder, squeezing lightly. 

            “I’m totally fine,” Louis quickly assures him. He drags his eyes up Harry’s body. _He dresses well_ , Louis notes. Harry’s in brown suede boots, skintight black jeans and a white shirt, patterned with black teardrop smudges. The shirt is unbuttoned halfway to his navel. The creamy skin of his chest is emblazoned with two birds in mid-flight, a collection of chains hanging between them. Louis forces himself to breathe, feeling quite sure he’ll forget and pass out on the spot. _Harry is incredible._

             “It’s good to see you,” Harry says. “You look even better out of your work uniform. I was sure that couldn’t be possible.” There’s no trace of sarcasm in Harry’s voice, his head shaking slightly in wonder. He’s running his eyes up and down Louis’ person, making no effort to disguise the fact that he’s checking him out. “Let me buy you a drink.”

            Louis stares at him, mouth agape. _Harry’s being so forward. Either he’s a master flirt and fuckboy or he’s the best guy on the planet._ Louis’ fallen for enough fuckboys on Grindr to be wary, but there’s something about Harry that leaves him feeling disarmed. He seems so genuine in everything he says and does. 

            “Thanks. I’m actually about to get the first round for the boys, so please, allow me?” Louis gestures quickly in Niall and Liam’s direction, immediately humiliated when he finds that they're watching the two of them excitedly. Niall is grinning with two thumbs up, mouthing something that looks like “Nice one, Tommo”. Blushing, Louis quickly looks away, hoping Harry hasn’t noticed, but finds Harry’s head thrown back in laughter, the dimples out in their entirety. He makes a mental note to kill Niall later. 

            Once they’ve ordered and received their drinks, Harry and Louis carefully carry them back to the table. Louis can’t help but notice Harry’s giant hands, easily circling each pint glass. His mind starts to wander off into unclean territory, but they thankfully reach the boys then, and introductions need to be made. Harry sits down next to Louis and immediately presses their thighs together under the table. Louis tries to ignore the shot of lightning that bursts through his body. 

 

            As it turns out, Harry fits into their little group seamlessly. He banters with Niall about whether Melbourne University, where Harry studies Arts, is actually superior to RMIT, where Niall’s studying Engineering. Niall is firmly in the camp that Melbourne is purely for academic snobs who will inevitably end up working at Maccas. Harry listens intently as Liam describes the latest saga in his on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend, and consoles him so effectively that Liam gets up and hugs him mid-conversation. The whole time, Harry’s leg never leaves Louis’, and as an added bonus, his hand occasionally reaches over to squeeze Louis’ thigh. Eventually, Liam nudges Niall meaningfully, and the two of them beg off, claiming early lectures. Their exaggerated winks in Louis’ direction tell a different story.

 

            Finally alone, Louis and Harry wander out of the brewery, strolling aimlessly down Sydney Road. They’re taking turns at quizzing each other. 

            “Favourite TV series to watch when you’re at home sick?” Harry asks.

            “Mmmm, old eps of Home and Away. Like, the stuff from my childhood. Bec Cartwright and Beau Brady era,” Louis answers easily. “AFL Team?”

            Harry makes a face, wrinkling his nose and sticking his tongue out. “Blergh. AFL. No thank you. If I were to go for one it’d be the purple one with the anchor symbol.”

            “The Dockers? Oh, please. Actually… no, I think they suit you. Personally I’m a Collingwood man, born and raised.”

            Louis is shocked when Harry barks out a laugh. “I don’t know, like, anything about AFL. But I do know that Collingwood fans are supposedly toothless bogans with aggressive streaks.” He turns to look Louis up and down appraisingly. “Hmmm… you don’t look like you go for them.”

            “I’ll have you know, Harold, that my aggressive streak is reserved for dumbass umpires who need assistance making the correct call.”

            “Okay, okay. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Ummm, okay. I’ve got one. If you could design an ice-cream flavour for Messina, what would it be?” Harry looks positively adorable as he gazes down at Louis, waiting for him to answer. 

            Louis studies the green eyes, pink lips and curly brown hair. “It would be pistachio with boysenberry swirls and bits of Curly Wurly through it. And it would be called… um…  Boy-senberry Boost.” He grins, proud of his concoction and it’s puntastic title. 

            Harry’s eyebrows shoot skyward and he stops in his tracks. “Louis! That’s the sweetest…” he pauses, and Louis’ heart skips a beat. “…flavour anyone has every invented.” Harry grins cheekily, placing a hand on each of Louis’ cheeks. “Where on earth did you get your inspiration from?” He gently runs his thumb over Louis’ lip. 

            “I’ve just recently found my muse, actually,” Louis murmurs. They’re standing in the middle of the footpath, staring into each other’s eyes. Cars and trams are moving past them in a near-constant stream, but Louis can’t hear or see them. The next thing he knows, Harry’s head is moving slowly towards him. Louis tilts his face up to meet him, and their lips come together, soft and intimate. 

            For a moment, the world stops completely. Harry’s kiss is slow and intimate, and Louis immediately feels the butterflies return to his stomach. When Harry gently walks them backwards into the brick wall behind them, Louis goes without resistance. Time and time again, their mouths come together, gathering momentum until they’re kissing with a sense of urgency. Louis pulls away. “You live round here?” he asks quickly. 

            Harry shakes his head. “Caught the train. You?”

            “I drove, actually. I’m out in Doncaster.” Louis pauses. “I can drive you home if you like, or…?” 

            Harry ducks his head down and kisses Louis again. “I think I’ll take the ‘or’ option,” he whispers into Louis’ lips. 

            “Okay,” Louis replies quietly. “Just to confirm, that’s coming back to…” His words are broken off as Harry’s hands slide down Louis’ sides and grip his butt firmly. “Um, yep. Let’s go.”

            They hurry back down the street to Louis’ car. They pile in, Harry immediately fiddling with the levers that send his seat shooting back to give him maximum leg space. Louis drives as quickly as he can, careful to slow down for every one of the billion speed cameras on Alexandra Parade. He scans his memory to try and figure out if his sister will be home in the unit they share, or if she’ll be at her boyfriend’s place. He vaguely remembers her telling him over breakfast that they had a gig in the city, which means they’ll be staying at his tonight. He breathes a sigh of relief.

            His suspicions are confirmed when they pull up in his carport. Lottie’s car is absent, and there’s no lights on inside the house. He scrambles out of the car, jogging round the back to open the door for Harry. 

            “My, what a gentleman!” Harry jokes, presenting his hand to Louis for a kiss. 

            Louis obliges immediately.

           

            Inside, Louis gives Harry the grand tour of the tiny house, relieved to find his room in a less slovenly state than usual. He’s showing him the walk in pantry and pointing out his collection of teas when Harry’s hand covers his mouth, muffling Louis’ words until he falls silent. 

            “As impressed as I am by your tea, Louie-with-an-S, I think I will appreciate them more tomorrow morning after I have thoroughly explored every single inch of your perfect body.” He pauses, and frowns. “As long as that’s okay with you, of course. If you want to keep showing me your tea, by all means, go ahe—“

            Louis silences Harry with a searing kiss, completely and utterly turned on by this display of sweet concern. Harry obviously takes the hint, because a second later he sweeps Louis up, holding him easily as he carries him back through the house to Louis’ bedroom. 

            Throwing Louis down on the bed, Harry leans over him and presses a kiss firmly to Louis’ lips. “Welcome to Boost Juice. What can I get for you today?” 

            This time, Louis knows exactly what he wants. 

          


End file.
